An appropriate rule-making authority may occasionally reconsider the rules that govern the use of a particular portion of the wireless communication spectrum. The authority may initiate such reconsideration in view of advances in technology and changes in consumer needs. In general, historical considerations that were relevant at the time of enactment of the rules may no longer apply in full force. Moreover, new considerations may now apply which were not foreseen at the time of enactment of the rules.
A change in the rules may allow a tremendous expansion in the usefulness of a particular portion of the spectrum. However, such a change may also introduce significant technical challenges. For example, in the United States, the FCC recently modified the rules governing the use of TV spectrum. Historically, the rules reserve that portion of the spectrum for television transmissions and wireless microphones. Such licensed entities are referred to as privileged entities herein. The FCC ruling expands the use of this portion of the spectrum to other, non-licensed, communication devices. However, the FCC ruling states that the new devices are not permitted to interfere with the privileged entities. Such unlicensed entities are referred to as non-privileged entities herein because they have subordinate rights to the available spectrum compared to the privileged entities. By contrast, there are no such constraints governing the use of communication devices in ISM bands (used for Wi-Fi communication). It is a challenging task to develop devices which make efficient use of the unoccupied TV spectrum—which is commonly known as white spaces—under the constraints of the FCC ruling. Similar rule changes and associated challenges may apply to other rule-making jurisdictions and other portions of the spectrum.
In other cases, the rules governing a particular portion of the wireless spectrum have not changed. Here too, there remains potential for making more efficient use of the spectrum, e.g., by revisiting traditional paradigms that have governed the use of the spectrum.